39 pages 1 hour read

Andrew Clements

Frindle

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1996

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Symbols & Motifs

Frindles (Pens)

The pen—or, as Nick and his friends prefer to call it, the frindle—serves as a motif reflecting the power of language. The pen is an everyday object, but simply by applying new language to it, masses of people associate a new word with the common object. Through most of the book, characters refer to frindles more conceptually than concretely; the frindle movement emphasizes the word itself rather than the physical object it represents. However, though Nick’s decision to call a pen a frindle appears coincidental, an object with inextricable links to language is deliberately chosen. Pens, as a tool, document a wealth of knowledge. The image of a pen suggests that the word’s legacy will endure, preserved in ink for generations to use. Mrs. Granger finally declares the conflict “over” when ink records Nick’s word in the ultimate authority of language: the dictionary.

Though the motif focuses primarily on the word itself, its narrative significance is incorporated as well. Two ostensibly random pens are established: first, Mrs. Granger’s favorite writing utensil, a maroon fountain pen with a blue cap; second, the gold ballpoint pen that Nick discovers on the roadside when he conceives the word frindle.

Related Titles

By Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

A Week in the Woods

Andrew Clements

A Week in the Woods

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

Extra Credit

Andrew Clements

Extra Credit

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

Lunch Money

Andrew Clements

Lunch Money

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

The Friendship War

Andrew Clements

The Friendship War

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

The Jacket

Andrew Clements

The Jacket

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

The Landry News

Andrew Clements

The Landry News

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

The Losers Club

Andrew Clements

The Losers Club

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

The Report Card

Andrew Clements

The Report Card

Andrew Clements

Study Guide

logo

Things Not Seen

Andrew Clements

Things Not Seen

Andrew Clements